Winyards Gap in West Dorset

Lovely pub, however, the new implementation of plastic cups in the garden for drinks is a bit silly. It’s put me off going back, will be going to the local where I can drink a pint out of the branded glass.

Went here for my birthday treat. The staff here are amazing, super friendly and very helpful. There is a wide variety of food and drink and the views are incredible. I would definitely recommend.

Amazing place, food, location, service - so worth a visit

Lovely meal, great views, friendly service.

enjoyed a great meal, great service and attention. absolutely worth the visit :)

Food was fabulous, though a few more vegan/ vegetarian choices that don't include pasta, rice, bread or potatoes as basis of the meal would be good 😋

Nice views, with a decent menu, however portion size was very small, and deserts charged at 9 pounds each was also very small. Not recommended if you are hungry.

We stopped here for a quick break from driving and the views are amazing. The food was delicious and staff are really lovely and welcoming. We had been driving 5 hours so was a very welcomed break. We are planning on returning on our way back to Yorkshire

We eat at Winyards Gap whenever we are in the area. A great varied menu with pub classics or something a bit special if you fancy. Staff and service are always impeccable and a wonderful location. Superb.

Passed a member of staff at the entrance to the garden. She completely ignored us. Not even a hello. Felt quite rude. Plus we were carrying quite a few drinks. No offer to help us to table. Bar service friendly and efficient.

One of the increasing number of pubs that think they are doing you a favour by allowing you to spend your money with them. Would not recommend

Great pub with amazing views from the beer garden

Just had lunch for the first time Thursday 17th April and all three of us were very impressed with the service, food, location and just about everything! Food was brilliant, all 3 of us had different main meals two being off the specials board and one sirloin steak meal and all three were exceptional. Again we only had three puddings which again all hit the spot. Received a warm welcome and service throughout was fantastic, being polite attentive but not overdone. So for sure we will be returning as this is as good as it gets. “Oh and take time out to see the views or sit in the garden!”

Lone diner staying in the area. My word what a find! Immaculate, tasteful, staff wonderful and food amazing. Thank you for looking after this lonely Welsh girl.

Popped in for an impromptu dinner, excellent service, beautiful location, plenty of parking, nice, friendly welcome and food very, very good pub food, just as it used to be, well priced, great presentation and good flavours.

Fantastic country inn offering great quality food, spacious & comfortable accommodation. Ideal location for walking & superb views across the valley. Highly recommend

Visited 10th April 2025. Visited the pub as a final night dinner on a little holiday. We were able to get a table for 2 that day. The staff were extremely kind, helpful and very polite. We were served by a blonde lady who was wearing a striped top, she gave excellent customer service and elevated our experience. For starters, we ordered the whitebait to share. It was crispy, flavoursome and not greasy. It was delicious and the perfect starter. We both ordered the burger. There was a large menu and lots of options, however we were justified in our choice because this burger was the best burger we have ever had. It was incredible, so juicy, flavoursome. It was truly delicious and the chips to accompany it were not greasy and were perfectly seasoned. Although back in our home county, we may just travel to Dorset for this burger. We finished our meal off with a Mille-feuille dessert which was light, crispy and not stodgy. The best way to finish off our evening out. The views were great and the inside was very pleasantly decorated. Though we didn’t stay in the rooms, we would give them 5 star because of our experience in the pub alone.

Good food and a very comfortable dining experience. Service was excellent and food is always served freshly cooked. Plenty of seating outside with views across the whole valley. Great place to watch the sun go down. Dog friendly and a good children's menu. Recommended to book for an inside table or larger group.

Very nice decor and a nice garden area. Service was excellent as was the food albeit a little expensive for ‘pub meals’.

Great food and even better views on a sunny day. We stopped for lunch in the garden and will be back.

🐾The most value for money, relaxing, pet-friendly stay! The room was fully equipped, very clean, quiet and comfortable! Our dog was welcome not only in the room and the garden but also at the restaurant. The food, service and atmosphere were great and we will be definitely visiting again! Last not least, such breathtaking sunset views!

Popped in here for a bite to eat and to catch up on some work. Quick enough Wi-Fi, food was really lovely. I had the breaded Brie wedge and a small plate of warm chorizo. Both were cooked perfectly and very tasty. Staff were friendly.

Unbeatable location on a sunny afternoon

If you are in the area, don’t miss this gem of a restaurant. Beautiful setting, great food but unpretentious. We were visiting Somerset and met up here for a meal with friends and we were not disappointed. We all ate something different: burger, pork belly, venison sausages and duck and it was all truly delicious and beautifully served. Staff were super friendly and we had a great night. If we are ever back in the area we will be returning.

Great food & service. Fabulous location!

Fantastic menu choices, warm welcome, excellent service, delicious dishes and sensible prices. A proper decent village pub. Thank you to the hardworking team, you are nailing it!

Could only get a 12.00 booking, but so sensible to do this as set arrival times meant staff could be really attentive, fast but not so fast you felt the service was rushed. Drinks arrived quickly, a good pint of Otter beer, apparently! Food arrived, lovely pink sirloin of beef and MIL had lamb, she wanted the small plate but still good amount of meat, potatoes and yorkie! Roast sirloin was tasty and a great portion, too, veg in dishes, which I prefer and really tasty cauliflower cheese. Extra jug of lovely gravy, which is a brilliant idea. As we did not try the starters, we had room for a pudding! sticky toffee pudding was light and sauce good, OH had lemon cheesecake, which he said was lovely. A scoop of ice cream for MIL was provided with no problems, although not on the menu. Helpful, friendly staff and really good food made this a great place for lunch. Will return if in the area again. Big car park and pub garden, with loads of tables and cracking views, If you have mobility issues, please tell staff, and a side entrance with LESS STEPS can be opened for you.

Tim was absolutely amazing, he was so attentive & looked after us so well. He is a great laugh and great personality! Would come back again for him alone ☺️

My wife and I enjoyed a beautiful lunch at this Dorset gem. Elevated pub cooking, with some lovely wines, and the staff couldn’t do enough for us - they were so friendly and welcoming. Beautiful views from the garden so arrive early before your meal to enjoy a drink overlooking the rolling countryside below.

Fabulous food and great service.

Food, location and service from staff fabulous 👌🏼 👏🏻 🥰

Sunday lunch arrived seated at table as we arrived staff friendly good quality beef roast, fish and chips £18 as alternative to roast not freshly cooked which is a shame straight out of a packet you can tell as shape was square, other restaurants in area charge less but cook fish fresh

Have been here for one night and we will come back. Arrived when the Rugby was on,so it was rather busy.BUT the service from being shown to our room to getting some food and drinks was first class. Everybody from front of house to the cleaning lady have been so friendly and helpful. We wish the owners and staff every success, you have been absolutely brilliant. Ten stars!!!!!!!

We had a lovely meal and so warm and friendly

The food was excellent. Don't order the spring rolls if your expecting nice crunchy Chinese style rolls. Beer prices very reasonable for a pub, regretfully not the same can be said for the bottles of wine. Picpoul pinet at £32 is a rip off, It sells for £7.49 in Lidle. A sensible mark up would be £15 and at that price I would have bought two bottles. Maybe no two bottles of Picpoul, but certainly two bottles of something. The pub lost out on an extra £30 profit. Assuming they would buy the product for a £5.00 and sold them at £15 -20

It's heaven with a log burner, great selection of beer on tap and a view that can't be beat even on a cloudy day

Excellent Sunday roast. Plenty of tender meat, good variety of veggies done just right, crisp roasties. Desserts slightly less good - flavour didn’t excite as much as we hoped. However the dining room is really nice - clean and airy with plenty of space between tables. And very friendly staff. We’ll be back.

Lovely comfy bed, great food and top service.

Great Sunday lunch very good service and happy to recommend to anybody who want a hearty roast !!

Excellent food, great atmosphere and really helpful and friendly staff! Went for a late Sunday lunch with family and was greeted by the friendly staff who quickly found us a table. The food was cooked to perfection with all the trimmings. I would recommend eating here!

We stayed here due to a burial the next day. Rooms were lovely and bed was very comfy. Would definitely stay here again. Staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

It certainly has changed. The staff were very helpful and the food was excellent. There was hardly any wait the came straight away and the food followed. I visited over a year ago it has since changed ownership. A vast improvement. Will be visiting again soon.

Cosy hillside pub with fireside seating and a beautiful view. Proper service, warm welcome and genuine. Food was as beautiful as the pub itself. Thoroughly impressed

Awesome stay, great service, great food, and every member of staff was polite, attentive, and professional, highly recommended!!!!

Freezing cold with wet snow falling, we were enveloped in warmth and welcome at Winyards. Fire flickering as I devoured a tasty venison cheeseburger with crunchy hot fries followed up with spiced autumn fruit crumble & vanilla custard. What can I say ... after a game of Uno (which I won 🥳 - games provided) we reluctantly left. Fabulous meal with brilliant service. Dogs welcome. Nice loos, ample parking, and when the weather is good, a huge beer garden with stunning views.

Absolutely brilliant friendly service!! Food was absolutely amazing 👏

We’ve been on the hunt for the best Sunday roasts around, and this one far exceeded our expectations! From start to finish, it was a fantastic experience. The £25 for a hearty two-course meal felt like great value for money. The quality of the meat was very much noticed, and the vegetables were so fresh—it was clear everything was prepared with care. We left feeling full and satisfied, and we’re already looking forward to returning in the summer to enjoy the beer garden, which has an incredible view over the hills. The only minor suggestion I’d have would be the temperature in the room. It was a bit too warm for comfort while eating, so I’d recommend dressing lighter if you’re visiting in warmer months. A huge thanks to the team for their warm welcome and excellent service. We can’t wait to come back!

Serene and beautiful 😍 Thank you

A grey day but a warm welcome and excellent service

Our first visit for lunch today and already looking forward to our next. Friendly service, good menu and delicious food. Thank you to the whole team

Excellent variety of food for a party on 4

Fantastic service from a keen and enthusiastic team, well done

What a fantastic pub in the countryside! Our family are local but we were visiting for the weekend and fancied a roast before leaving. Well they did not disappoint and everyone was stuffed and very happy. The staff were extremely friendly and couldn’t do enough to make sure you had everything you needed. Kid and dog friendly and the views are just insane on a clear day! We will definitely be back, thank you so much

My wife wrote a 1* review a few years ago and since have only been back during the week with low expectations. Today we braved it for lunch and have happily found new owners, fantastic staff and a much, much better vibe. Great food, amazing view and the best service around. We'll definitely be back more often and not just for the great garden view

Just spent the weekend with friends, at Winyards Gap, and we couldn’t have been happier. The staff really understand what hospitality is all about, nothing was too much trouble, the food was of a very high standard whether it was breakfast or dinner, a good selection of reasonably priced wines and the rooms, are modern and very comfortable, would I go back?, it’s a definite yes

Lovely atmosphere, wonderful service. Food quick to arrive. Staff polite and friendly. Would definitely go back if in this area.

Just enjoyed the most delicious lunch here! Four of us plus 4 large damp dogs! The staff couldn’t have been more helpful. The service was excellent and the food was absolutely fantastic! Compliments to the chef and thanks to Luke who looked after us so well! We will definitely return! A gem!

Have just returned from a Saturday night stay at this wonderful pub. From the room, which was spotless had a great view and was well furnished to the breakfast which was really well presented and the amazingly helpful staff - just a great place to say!!! Highly recommend.

This was our first visit since it has been under new management, and I have to say I’m very Impressed! The food was brilliant! The staff were lovely and even though it was busy they were happy to help!

Staying nearby and came in for dinner. Warm welcome. Lovely surroundings. Excellent beer, the food we had (one duck dish, one salmon) was equally as good. Friendly attentive service throughout. Heartily recommend

What a find! Great food, welcoming environment and team, dog friendly. Stayed in the area and this was our local. Settled in for the evening with decent beers and board games. It didn't disappoint. No food pics as it looked so delicious, we tucked straight in. Cheers lads.

Stayed here while visiting family. Stayed in a gorgeous apartment. Beds, kitchen and bathroom. Little front outside. Nice restaurant in pub with great bar for drinks. Good price. Polite and friendly staff. Would definitely come again.

Lovely location, very nice pub, friendly staff. We stopped off for a quick pint randomly but we're probably going to visit again after our break as the food looked very nice! I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area.

Unexpected visit. Sunday afternoon, stopped for a drink and enquired about lunch . Landlord very pleasant and accommodating. I had the lamb and my partner had the smaller portion Sunday lunch. Unusual but great value. Unfortunately it was wet and misty so sat inside. We will return for the service and location. Great views ( yet to see).

Lovely meal for 4, great service too.

Stopped by for lunch , nice staff , nice meal. In all a good experience 👍

There’s a restaurant, bar and garden menu. From memory the nachos were £6, fish and chips £16 and trio of sausages £15. Lots of parking, steps leading in, plastic cups outside to avoid any broken glass near kids/dogs, can book restaurant tables, lots of picnic benches and covered areas. Nice views.

Great location for a pint and meal Staff very friendly and service was quick food good value and very tasty I recommend the pub

A great pub for a high quality meal, we went for lunch and was great, there is a good outside area where you can eat and drink as well. My wife is gluten free and was easily catered for

lovely food one of the best Sunday roasts we have had service was excellent thanks lovely meal

Lovely pub, great accommodation in a beautiful location We recently stayed for a couple of days to visit our daughter and grandchildren on holiday in Stoke Abbott. The staff were friendly and helpful, and our room was clean and comfortable with a well stocked kitchenette. We enjoyed drinks in the evenings after full-on days with our children, and although the food looked amazing, we sadly never got to try it. Next time! The views from the beer garden were stunning, and we wouldn't hesitate to stay again and highly recommend it.

Always have a lovely experience dining here. Great location, nice menu and excellent service!! Price's don't break the bank either.

Food very high quality and at a reasonable price, Great menu Excellent selection of beers, Clean and tidy pub and dining area, Staff are all very friendly and extremely helpful, Dog Friendly, Always pop in for food when in the area highly recommend

Lovely location... Great music outside. Shame the kitchen closed early on Sunday, but we'll go back to try it out...

Great food and service, so good I even went for the dessert too. Great views looking towards the Giant. We sat in the restaurant area - please keep yapping dogs out, luckily said dog with selfish owner only came in towards the end of our meal, but another time I would have complained.

Just had a drink in the garden, amazing views,staff really great

Really beautiful place. Unfortunately the lady who served us was so rude and unwelcoming to myself, my partner and my 12 year old step son, that we cancelled our order before the food arrived.

Super delicious food, great service, breathtaking view! Highly recommended!!! Johnny, Keiran, Lucy and everyone else are very nice and attentive!!! Always worth a visit!!!

I drove from Scotland leaving at 4am arrived to surprise lunch for a very special person. The staff here are very happy in their work The pub has fantastic views eating outside is spectacular. As it was Friday Fish and Chips with a pint of Guiness was very welcome. The mushy peas complimented the whole fish. Would recommend but make sure you book in advance can be very busy

Nice, well presented food.The staff are polite and friendly.

Great beer and epic views over the Somerset landsape from the garden thats set at the top of a hill looking over the countryside below

We had a fantastic evening meal at Winyards Gap. We are local and regularly book a table when we have friends visiting. The food, service and general setting is second to none.

Winyards Gap has always been a lovely place to visit and there is no denying the view from the garden is lovely. However, this is the first time we've visited since the new owners took over in January and whilst the newly refurbished interior is lovely, the experience was less than relaxing. From the minute we were seated, the whole experience was rushed. The waitress was so 'attentive' that we were given very little time to choose our food, finish our food choose our drinks, and order pudding and actually felt pestered rather than relaxed. But to top it all off, when the final plates were basically taken away before we'd finished, we were asked immediately if we wanted anymore drinks. We declined and simply said, not at the moment thank you, wanting 5 or 10 minutes for our food to go down. Literally, 60 seconds later, we were told that they needed the table back and we'd have to leave. We had booked a large family meal with relatives and had to leave at 8pm! Shocking. It really is a shame as its a lovely place that we've always enjoyed. We left feeling unvalued as customers.

We had earmarked this pub to go back to eat at when we did the open gardens in Chedington village last year. We chose to book as a family of five for our Fathers Day lunch today. It was fabulous, no complaints about anything at all. All the staff seemed well trained, efficient and above all friendly and with a smile. It makes a huge difference. Our party enjoyed two starters of the calamari, all of us had the roasts which were a good size, freshly cooked, lots of tender meat and a good selection of vegetables and accompaniments. Three of us also managed a dessert. The choice was very good and a bit different to the usual pub menu. We had the white chocolate and kitkat cheesecake and two of us the bread pudding and custard (a real treat!). The dining room was decorated in a modern style with chunky furniture and a nice buzz about it. Dogs are allowed in here too. The garden with stunning, far reaching countryside views and the outdoor terrace all looked well kept. We understand from reading other reviews that the owners have changed this year. We were so impressed and passed on our thanks to the staff today. We will definitely be back now that we have finally got round to trying you! Thank you.

The Winyard Gap what a Gem the views across somerset, the staff were Amazing could not do enough to oblige, The Food was delicious and Hit and the Bitter was how it should be Room Temperature certainly go again 😍😍😍

Lovely meal, great views from the garden. Service very good. Recommended. Dog friendly.

Fantastic location with great views and walks.

Stayed for 2 nights in May for Hubby's Birthday. Received a very warm welcome from Hosts, John, Lucy and Lucy's Mum. Rooms are set back from the pub, so they are very quiet. Room was spotlessly clean, modern decor and very well equipped. Very large and comfortable bed. Clock/Radio TV Tea making facilities, coffee machine, fresh milk supplied. Bathroom very modern with large walk in shower. Nice toiletries supplied. The only tiny negative we had with the room (Room 4) is the hot water pipes run under the floor so the heat from them radiate through, there is no way to regulate that so the room got very warm. We were supplied with an expensive, quiet running fan, which we had to leave on constantly and open the velux window to make the room temperature bearable for us. Lucy's Mum did offer us another room, but we felt for one more night we could manage, to save them the upheaval a room change makes. We spent the afternoons in the lovely, comfy bar area. Hubby was pleased that there was a good selection of Ales available. We had evening meals both nights, it was nice that the dining area was set separate to the Bar area. The evening meals and breakfasts we received during our stay were cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. The food was delicious and there was plenty of choice on both the breakfast and evening menus. All the staff there were fantastic, friendly and efficient,nothing was too much trouble for them. We will definitely stay there again when we visit Dorset but would ask for a different room. The views from and around the pub are amazing and far reaching, we found it a very peaceful and relaxing place to get away from it all for a few days. They also have a lovely beer garden that make the most of the lovely surrounding views.

Sunday lunch, we had a lovely lunch ,service very good, food very good. Lovely setting will recommend to friends, thankyou for a nice lunch

We stayed for two nights at this family run ‘up market’ pub with modern clean accommodation and great food. We were lucky with the weather and sat outside enjoying the stunning views and amazing sunset . We will definitely be back . C and A

We visited yesterday evening for some food and really enjoyed it, Its the first time we have been since the new owners have taken over, they have made a really good job of smartening everything up inside and out. The food was good, the service was good and we will defiantly be back soon.

Top place. We went for Sunday lunch. The roast dinner was excellent - a lot of pubs do roasts and there is often something not quite right - too little food, too much food, too hard, too soggy etc. But I must say this place got everything right, and importantly the plate was hot. They also serve well-conditioned real ales. To cap it all off the location is stunning - we went for a walk in the local countryside after our meal, then went back for a beer in the beer garden which overlooks miles of beautiful contryside.

This pub has been our local for 20+ years and thank goodness, despite a few forgivable early hitches, it's now in very safe hands with it's new owners. We had an exceptional meal again last Sunday. It's just a wander down the road for us and aren't we lucky! I'm sure many people will travel to appreciate and enjoy the excellent food, fabulous location (what a view!) and friendly staff.

Came across this place whilst on a A35 diversion. View was good, food good, service good. Really glad we stopped there. We will be going back.

Beautiful location, especially in the summer, with all the views. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the brownie. I feel like the peanut brittle wasn't needed as it was very tasty without it! 😍. The staff were fantastic and attentive, and everyone looked happy to be at work. The pub was very clean and tidy, including the bathrooms, which was nice to see! Thank you for a wonderful evening 🩷

Recently stayed for 3 nights at the Inn with my husband. Lovely venue with superb views over the countryside and even though an A road is beside the Inn, the traffic noise is minimal. Plenty of off road parking. Our room was the studio with shower, upstairs and took advantage of the view. We also had a small kitchenette for full flexibility. We ate in the restaurant each night, food was well cooked and presented and Lucy and her team made us feel very welcome and at ease. We had friends over on the middle night for a surprise birthday and the team were very happy to help out with the surprise. Cannot fault and would thoroughly recommend. Dogs are welcome too.

Winyards Gap, is looking beautiful after its re-fresh, lots more outside space to drink in the views, great vibe. !!!!!A big well done to all the team looking great.

Wonderful setting, fantastic food and a warm welcome! Super evening spend with friends, we got to sit outside and take in the beautiful views. Will definitely be back!

Have now visited Winyards Gap 4-5 times now since it’s re launch under new ownership in February this year. It is very rare nowadays to be able to visit somewhere multiple times for food and receive great service and fantastic food every time. I have to say the new family owners have made a great pub even better, the pub has had a beautiful makeover inside and out with a cosy bar area, atmospheric light and bright dining room, great looking outside patio and views that are second to none. The service is always welcoming and friendly and the food outstanding I’ve had the best roast dinner on a Sunday and enjoyed burgers, steak and lamb from the diverse main menu. Great value, well done Winyards team you have definitely become a family favourite.

Have now visited Winyards Gap 4-5 times now since it's re launch under new ownership in February this year. It is very rare nowadays to be able to visit somewhere multiple times for food and receive great service and fantastic food every time. I have to say the new family owners have made a great pub even better, the pub has had a beautiful makeover inside and out with a cosy bar area, atmospheric light and bright dining room, great looking outside patio and views that are second to none. The service is always welcoming and friendly and the food outstanding I've had the best roast dinner on a Sunday and enjoyed burgers, steak and lamb from the diverse main menu. Great value, well done Winyards team you have definitely become a family favourite.